How to Grow and Care for Japanese Maple Tree
Learn to Root a Japanese Maple From Cutting Successfully
Aug 27, 2009
The Japanese Maple is a popular tree that is native to eastern China, Japan, Taiwan, and Korea. It produces beautiful foliage that may be enjoyed throughout the seasons. Although it is a difficult process, growing a tree from a cutting is rewarding and connects the gardener to the land and plant.
Execute the Following Instructions to Grow a Beautiful Japanese Maple From a Cutting:
- Consult a professional in your area to be certain that you have chosen a variety of Japanese maple which is best suited to survive in your climate zone and where you plan on raising the tree. You will find that there are different varieties better suited to live in containers, dry areas, or shaded areas.T
- Take the cutting from a well established and healthy Japanese maple in mid spring during the trees natural growth cycle. This will increase the cuttings viability and your chances of successfully rooting the cutting will increase dramatically.
- Clip the cutting from a branch which has significant signs of new and healthy growth. The cutting should be taken from an intersection of branches and should be no more than eight inches long; immediately place the cutting in water to preserve viability. To increase chances of success, take two or three extra cuttings.
- Once all of the cuttings are acquired, prepare separate containers with nutrient rich potting soil for each of them. Make sure that the soil is moist but be careful not to saturate the growing medium. The cuttings will require moisture in order to establish themselves however; root growth is dependent upon available water. The more available water, the less the roots will grow.
- Take the first cutting out of the water and allow all the excess water to run off; you only want the cutting to be damp, not moist. Take turns lightly coating the exposed wood of each cutting with rooting hormone and place them in their respective pots. Make sure that the exposed wood is at least one inch under the soil.
- Take care of the cuttings as if they were saplings by supplying them appropriate light and intermittent watering. Take the cuttings inside when the frost of winter returns; place them in an area where they will be cool but not threatened by frost.
- When spring arrives again, move the cuttings back outside and check to see if they have successfully rooted by gently pulling on the stem of the cutting. A cutting that has successfully produced roots will be resistant to pull out of the pot.
- Choose the strongest of the rooted cuttings and plant them into separate one gallon pots. Make sure that the growing medium is rich with organic matter and slow release fertilizer. The trees will need to be grown in this pot for at least another year until they begin to produce new leaves.
When the saplings seem well established and ready to survive outside of their containers, choose an area of the yard to plant the tree. Plant it at the same depth as it lived in its pot and water it well for the next year or two.
Propagating a Japanese Maple from a cutting takes at least two years to reach a point of homeostasis. However, once the cutting is successfully rooted it is prepared to live for many years as an exact clone of its mother plant.
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